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Seattle crushes Denver, Peyton Manning in Super Bowl XLVIII

Seattle Seahawks' Russell Wilson, left, celebrates with teammate Clint Gresham after the NFL Super Bowl XLVIII football game Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Seahawks won 43-8.

Seattle's Byron Maxwell (top) celebrates with teammate Malcolm Smith after Smith returned an interception for touchdown during the first half of Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J.

Denver players watch from the sideline during their 43-8 loss to Seattle in Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J.

Denver quarterback Peyton Manning chases the ball after it was snapped over his head on the first offensive play of Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J. The play, which resulted in a safety, was the start of a bad day for the Broncos. Seattle cruised to a 43-8 victory.

Seattle's Cliff Avril, a former Clay High School standout, celebrates after the 43-8 Super Bowl victory over Denver on Sunday night in East Rutherford, N.J.

Seattle's Percy Harvin takes the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown against Denver in Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday night in East Rutherford, N.J. The former Florida star went 87 yards for the score.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. | The stars were aligned Sunday for Peyton Manning to join the select group of quarterbacks to win multiple Super Bowls.

The weather was a non-factor (49 degrees at kickoff), and he had the best offense in pro football at his disposal. A night after winning his record fifth MVP award, his legacy would be cemented with a victory over Seattle.

Instead, it was the Seahawks who authored the first chapter of what could be a dominating era.

Scoring touchdowns in all three phases before the second half was a minute old, the Seahawks rolled to their first Super Bowl championship with a 43-8 win over the Broncos before 82,529 fans at MetLife Stadium that was stunning in its completeness.

“It was a great team win,” said Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who threw two touchdowns. “The special teams, with Percy Harvin coming back for a kickoff return, the defense was relentless and, offensively, we were clicking on all cylinders.”

The first northern, outdoor stadium Super Bowl was a competitive dud — the margin of victory was the largest in 21 years — but don’t discount how Seattle overwhelmed the favored Broncos.

It was multifaceted: The Seahawks became the first team in Super Bowl history to score a safety (first play from scrimmage) and have touchdowns via interception return (by game MVP Malcolm Smith) and kickoff return (by Harvin to start the second half.)

It was opportunistic: Smith’s interception was on a deflected pass and he went 69 yards for a touchdown. Seattle later took advantage when Denver’s tackling was pathetic and its kickoff coverage poor on Harvin’s 89-yard touchdown.

And it was non-stop: The Seahawks didn’t let up — they were still hitting with authority and throwing the football in the fourth quarter.

In the fifth matchup of the league’s top defense against the top offense, the defense won for the fourth time.

“We were just being normal,” said Seattle safety Kam Chancellor, whose first-quarter interception set up a touchdown. “We don’t change our plan for anybody.”

Manning and the Broncos had no answers.

He threw two first-half interceptions that led to 14 Seattle points and fell to 11-12 all-time in the postseason, including 1-2 in the title game. Manning did set a hollow Super Bowl record — most completions (34).

“We did a lot of good things just to have this opportunity,” Manning said. “But certainly, to finish like this, it’s very disappointing, and it’s not an easy pill to swallow. But, eventually, we have to.”

Denver didn’t score until the final play of the third quarter — a 14-yard touchdown pass from Manning to Demaryius Thomas. Part of the Broncos’ undoing was four turnovers.

“It shows you what happens when you don’t execute,” tight end Julius Thomas said. “Every game we lost this year, we continued to turn the ball over, and when you don’t fix that, you’ll lose.”

Denver was essentially kaput one play into the second half.

Down 22-0, the comeback hope was extinguished when former Florida star Harvin — playing only his third game of the year — returned the opening kickoff of the third quarter 87 yards for a touchdown.

The only highlight for Denver was Demaryius Thomas. The fourth-year receiver caught a Super Bowl record 13 passes.

Denver was in Chase The Game Mode right from the hop — Manning trailed 5-0 before he ever touched the football.

On the game’s first play from scrimmage, Manning was making a pre-snap adjustment when center Manny Ramirez airmailed a shotgun snap that bounded into the end zone and was recovered by running back Knowshon Moreno for a Seattle safety. It was the fastest score (12 seconds) to start a Super Bowl.

Manning said it was a “cadence issue. … Nobody’s fault. Not Manny’s fault. No one could hear me, and I was walking up to the line to make a change and get us on the same page when the ball was snapped.”

Seattle added a 31-yard Steven Hauschka field goal on the ensuing drive.

Denver’s first possession went three-and-out and Seattle made it 8-0 on Hauschka’s 33-yard field goal. That capped a 13-play, 58-yard possession highlighted by three third-down conversions, the last a 37-yard pass to Doug Baldwin, who started from the left slot and ran by cornerback Champ Bailey.

Seattle was right back in business to end the quarter when Manning overthrew Thomas and was intercepted by Chancellor, who returned it to the Broncos’ 27.

The Seahawks capitalized to make it 15-0 on Marshawn Lynch’s 1-yard touchdown run.

The Broncos eventually got their initial first down (10:30 left in the second quarter), but the momentum was short-lived.

On a third-and-13 snap from the Seahawks 35, defensive end Cliff Avril, who played at Clay High, bull-rushed, pushed back Denver right tackle Orlando Franklin and hit Manning’s arm as he threw.

Smith intercepted, and his touchdown made it 22-0.

“[Manning] was working the other side of the field, and he came back to me and was checking the ball down,” Smith said. “The ball came out really high, and I was fortunate to pick it.”

Seattle might just be getting started.

Several of their young players will need new contracts, but the Seahawks’ depth was on full display all season.